Okishima Island Tourist Association — Evil Ok
Mixing head nodding beats with crispy, crunchy noise elements, Okishima Island Tourist Association's Evil Ok is seven tracks of interesting, sometimes dance-worthy electronica. Bubbly bass and cartoony samples open up the album with a misleading, lighthearted approach, which transitions into an exploration into a cavernous, videogame cave complex. This takes a turn down the river and moves into a track that is reminiscent of a jacked up version of Ministry's "The Cannibal Song." Pounding and propulsive, the third track gets the plane up to speed before taking to the skies in the airy, light, fourth track. Okishima can only stave off the grim crunch for so long, though, and the fifth track is proof. Low, brooding, and tearing, the bass on this rips open a wound from which blasting static pours forth. Pulses of screeching fury complement the hypnotic, throbbing lows in a cacophonous yin-yang of noise. Spacing back out and retreating to the night-time woods, the sixth track takes a strange, almost power electronics inspired path and uses singles/swingers ad recordings to add textures to the oscillating murk. Closing with what sounds like a tribal Industrial Revolution, the seventh track mixes comfortable, natural, Earthy sounds with advanced machinery in what may be the summoning of a machine god by a primitive tribe. Quite a juxtaposition to the light first track, but a fitting end to an increasingly grim album.
Okishima Island Tourist Association's newest, Evil Ok, is an entertaining trip through time and space. With artwork as intriguing as the sounds found within, this latest outing as fun for both the eyes and the ears. Definitely worth a spin, Okishima Island Tourist Association keeps the listener coming back for more.